I'm posting this from my Z1 Compact, having sold my A867 last week. To sum up very briefly, it sounds wonderful and happily drives the DT1350s at about 60% volume. With a 64gb memory card added and PowerAmp, this device is ideal.

I received my Sony xperia z1 compact from eglobalcentral.eu. The device has very clean output and non-fatiguing sound quality because of that. It is WAY better than Note3 and g2 in that aspect.

However I have a question regarding the SAR-value of the unit. As they shipped this unit from Hong Kong, I also received a small booklet in the box where it stated that the maximum SAR-value was 0.921 W/kg (10g). When I visited the swedish Sony site I searched for z1 compact SAR and there it stated that the max SAR was 0.73-0.74 W/kg (10g). Why does it differ? Is it because they've tested this unit with a Hong Kong based mobile operator or is it because Sony makes different models for Asia and Europe?

If you have blurry picture, especially when the flash is used, then your Z1 Compact might have suffered from a problem called light leakage. It is a known issue for the early batch of Z1 Compact and you can contact Sony for support. Might be more difficult for you since you got it from HK.

SAR listed are probably value tested by the local labs, so it isn't too surprising if they are not the same, as long as the number don't vary by much.

Can anyone compare the sound quality of Z1 Compact with iphone 5s/5c. I'm planning to buy a new phone but this time I want to make sure that sound quality is top notch. Hence I need to choose among Z1 Compact, iphone 5s and iphone 5c

Can anyone compare the sound quality of Z1 Compact with iphone 5s/5c. I'm planning to buy a new phone but this time I want to make sure that sound quality is top notch. Hence I need to choose among Z1 Compact, iphone 5s and iphone 5c

The sound quality is great but volume may be low for people who like listening at high volumes. As far as I know, right now HTC M8 is the best phone for using with headphones.

Sony claims that the new Z3 Compact is 'hi-rez' compatible, I wonder if this differs in any way from what the Z1 C can handle?

AFAIK, based on Sony's own criteria, both Z3 and Z3 Compact can output hi-res signals, (in their definition, high frequencies beyond the redbook CD spec) from their headphone jacks. You don't need external DACs to access that quality. That's the big feature the Z3/Z3C brings, so that in theory all you need is a pair of hi-res capable headphones.

Sony isn't just claiming 'hi-res', but also DSD playback - that makes me wonder: unless there is a separated DAC chip that capable of DSD decoding (which is unlikely, given Sony doesn't have an independent DAC on any of its Xperia so far), it could very well be software decoding, meaning internal DSD-to-PCM conversion. This also rises the question of whether the Z3 is really hardware decoding those hi-res files or just capable of software down-sampling hi-res files for playback.

Sony isn't just claiming 'hi-res', but also DSD playback - that makes me wonder: unless there is a separated DAC chip that capable of DSD decoding (which is unlikely, given Sony doesn't have an independent DAC on any of its Xperia so far), it could very well be software decoding, meaning internal DSD-to-PCM conversion. This also rises the question of whether the Z3 is really hardware decoding those hi-res files or just capable of software down-sampling hi-res files for playback.

1. USB output up to 192kHz/24bit、and 96kHz/24bit from the headphone jack - so I don't think it's downsampling at all. Sony's promo material also emphasized you can get hi-res by plugging in a pair of compliant headphones, and they've got certain internal guidelines for hi-res, meaning Sony would refuse to call downsampled hi-res hi-res.

2. Hi-Res files are software decoded, then uses Qualcomm's codec chip for D/A conversion (the DAC/digital amp that comes with the CPU presumably)

3. An internal path leading to the amplifier in Qualcomm's chip is what limits the headphone jack output to 96kHz/24bit (instead of 192/24 like the USB output)

1. USB output up to 192kHz/24bit、and 96kHz/24bit from the headphone jack - so I don't think it's downsampling at all. Sony's promo material also emphasized you can get hi-res by plugging in a pair of compliant headphones, and they've got certain internal guidelines for hi-res, meaning Sony would refuse to call downsampled hi-res hi-res.

2. Hi-Res files are software decoded, then uses Qualcomm's codec chip for D/A conversion (the DAC/digital amp that comes with the CPU presumably)

3. An internal path leading to the amplifier in Qualcomm's chip is what limits the headphone jack output to 96kHz/24bit (instead of 192/24 like the USB output)

Well, first of, I don't know what it means by "compliant headphones" - there is no such a thing given headphone is in the analog domain and having hi-res or not has nothing to do with what headphone you use. That will be like saying changing spoiler on a car can turn it from normal car to super car, which will be quite laughable to any engineer. Same can be said to 'internal path' that limits to 24/96 - quite laughable to any electronic engineer. It either has a 24/192 output on the DAC or it doesn't. Trying to obscure with marketing terminology doesn't work.

Second - saying USB output up to 24/192 is really not saying much at all - as that can be done on most smartphone these days that can supports OTG on USB DAC with the use of USB Audio Player PRO. I can even do that on my 2 years old Xperia TX without any problem, so that's really a no-no IMO.

Lastly, by saying it only does 24/96 over the headphone jack, Sony confirms that's the smartphone's limitation. Technically 24/96 is still "high-res", but certainly not quite the full spec I'll expect from the promotional material. They should have made it clear by saying it is 24/96 instead of saying 'hi-res', as people would have assume it can do 24/192 natively, which it can't. Since it can only do 24/96, that means DSD is definitely going through internal DSD-to-PCM conversion and not native decoding at all.

All and all, pretty lame on the 'hi-res' claim. It reminds me on the whole 'HD Ready' thing on HDTV a few years ago, which only does 720p and not the full 1080i.

2. must pass an internal SQ evaluation (i.e. should audibly bear out the benefit of a source that's not just CD-quality)

Sony has always made it very clear that their hi-res == anything above CD-spec, they never promised more.

Since you doubted that Sony might have downsampled the output, I'm really just trying to point out that

A. according to Sony's internal standards they would not sell a product with downsampled playback as hi-res,

and that B, there's an interview online that says the headphone jack is putting out more than 20kHz.

You can argue all day about whether Sony really managed to pull it off, but I don't see anything outlandish with these claims at all. If you think it's a marketing ploy then I think you should ask yourself whether you should believe in the benefits of ANY hi-def audio spec.

But listen, you think what you wanna think, it's not like my pride is invested in hi-res audio one way or another. Even if you think it's all a marketing game, it's you who's the williing participant.

As much as I love the idea of the sonic benefits of a dedicated DAP like the DX 90 or similar, I confess that even moderately good sound quality from a cell-phone is very tempting as I use Spotify a lot.

A cell phone (like the Z3-c) which approached genuinely audiophile sound quality would be an irresistible proposition to me.

The sound quality of the Z1-c hasn't really been remarked upon in much depth anywhere (this thread being the biggest exception), but the little I've read has been fairly positive, so if the Z3-c offers a further improvement I'm definitely in!

I guess that Sony would have to work pretty hard to jam a decent DAC and AMP into a chassis which offers even less room than the Z1-c, but I'm hopeful that they've succeeded.

Do any of the cell-phone preview/review sites offer SQ analysis up to the demands of the Head-Fi community?

Sennheiser's participation in Google's 'Project Ara' is quite exciting, but I can't imagine that a modular phone will offer waterproofing like the Sony's.